We study the key public policy problems confronting Vietnam. This research is the lifeblood of the continued development of the Fulbright School’s masters of public policy program, ensuring the relevance of our courses to the problems our students will confront upon their return to professional life. The insights our research generates are shared with Vietnamese decision makers through discussion papers, policy dialogue fora, and executive education.

Our research is conducted by multidisciplinary teams composed of faculty members from the Fulbright School and the Harvard Kennedy School and frequently involves Vietnamese policy analysts inside and outside government. We also benefit from an extensive knowledge network that Harvard has cultivated over two decades. This network ensures that our policy analysis responds to the needs and challenges of Vietnamese policymakers. We also bring comparative perspectives to bear on our analysis of Vietnamese policy problems. In particular, the development experience of other countries in the region can help clarify the strategic options confronting Vietnam. An example of this approach is “Choosing Success: The Lessons of East and Southeast Asia and Vietnam’s Future,” a major policy study completed in January 2008.